When being walked, pets frequently have the need to answer nature's call. In many instances, this requires the pet owner to “clean up” after their pet. Such activity typically occurs by the pet owner bending down and using their hands to scoop the pet waste into a plastic bag. Such a method may present difficulty for pet owners who are not flexible or able to bend in such a position. Further, some pet owners may not want to risk potential contact with the pet waste and may opt not to clean up after their pet.
Pet waste left in public areas such as streets and sidewalks creates numerous sanitary problems, particularly in metropolitan areas having high population densities. It has been estimated that there are currently 60 million dogs in the United States alone, many of which residing in large urban areas. Many municipalities have enacted local ordinances requiring that the pet owner clean up after their pets. Many dog owners resort to the “bag-in-hand” method to pick up their pet's waste. Many pet owners carry one or more plastic bags with them to collect such refuse. This entails a rather unpleasant operation that includes putting the bag on one's hand and grabbing the fecal material from the ground, carefully wrapping the fecal contents in the bag without touching the skin of the pet owner, and then having to tie the bag and either carry it in a pocket, on the leash or in a free hand until it can be disposed of.
Some longtime dog owners have resigned to this primitive method, but new owners are understandably repulsed by the above-described technique. It is therefore clear that a need exists for devices that provide clean and efficient collection and disposal of pet waste, in a convenient and sanitary fashion.
Many types of pet waste collecting devices have been devised for clean-up purposes. Some, for example, may be operated with one hand and without necessitating bending over or stooping. Such devices, sometimes called “pooper scoopers”—include those having cooperating jaws at the lower end of a relatively long, rigid cane-like handle, and some even make provision for collecting the refuse material in an open refuse bag, the refuse material entering the open end of the bag.
When pet owners take their pets for a walk, the pet owner often has at least a leash to restrain their pet and often employs a retractable leash to provide their pet with the ability to move ahead of them at different distances, while the owner retains control over such lengths via the retractable leash. Having to carry yet another tool, such as a conventional so-called “pooper scooper” device, is cumbersome and adds considerable hassle and complexity to the simple task of walking a pet. There is a long felt but unsolved need to provide a pet owner with a single tool that both provides the advantages of a retractable leash and a waste pick-up tool, such that a single device can facilitate more enjoyable pet/owner experience while on walks.
Moreover, in the area of ground and yard maintenance, whether public or private, it is often the case that garbage and debris is left on the ground or blown in by winds. For those individuals with pets or in rural areas, there is often the deposition of fecal matter by pets or wild animals roaming the grounds. As such, in order to maintain a clean and healthy environment for people, someone must periodically pick up, bag and dispose of the garbage, debris, fecal matter and other miscellaneous matter deposited on the ground. In public and business areas, this is typically accomplished by a maintenance crew, whereas in private locations it is done by the property dweller. To do this task in a sanitary and convenient way, a collection and bagging device that allows a user's hands to be distant and/or separated from the refuse and/or feces when collecting, bagging and disposing of the refuse is desirable.
In the general field of having to bend over and hand-manipulate an item, it will be appreciated that playing golf requires that a golfer repeatedly bend over to place or pick up the ball. The teeing, placement and collection of balls from the ground can be challenging for disabled or elderly players. Thus there is a need for a simple device that can be carried and transported by a golfer to make playing the game of golf easier, especially for older golfers and those with bad backs or who have limited flexibility.